The tour in the 1970's

markhewitt1978
markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
edited July 2013 in Pro race
Phil Ligget started on the ITV4 highlights started to mention something about the Tour in the 70's was 'dying' but then... and something happened so he didn't finish his point. Can anyone expand on his curtailed comment?

Comments

  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,264
    I can't say what he was going to say, but in the 80s there was a concerted effort to grow and internationalise the Tour - make it a little less parochial
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    The French used to complain that Merckx was killing the Tour by mullering everyone every year...
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    The French used to complain that Merckx was killing the Tour by mullering everyone every year...

    ^ This

    They begged him not to turn out. He had his time which was stellar then came a time when he couldn't win anymore. Fotheringham's Half man/Half bike is a good read on this. It makes me laugh when people say that they are fed up with Sky's domination of cycling which amounts to two TdF's and a few one week stage races. Merckx was like a black hole who devoured everything over several years. I'd love to have seen him race first hand.
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition

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